The Detroit Lions are making big moves during the offseason, and it’s a good thing, because they want to once again be a high-roller come fall, even with the coaching staff going through a major overhaul. The Lions lost offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to the Chicago Bears and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to the New York Jets days after their loss to the Washington Commanders in the playoffs, so the chemistry and makeup of their highest tier of coaches is going through a transition.
Now, the new coaches in charge, along with vet head coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes, are making decisions. One involves bringing on a new quarterback.
Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Heading to Detroit
The Detroit Lions are adding to their quarterback depth and adding veteran Kyle Allen, according to an announcement from his agency, Vayner Football.
Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network also shared the news, stating that the Lions “have agreed to terms with veteran QB Kyle Allen, source says. Following a season with the #Steelers, Allen joins Detroit’s quarterback room behind Jared Goff.”
Allen, 29, comes from the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he was the backup to Russell Wilson and Justin Fields during the 2022 season. His last two starts were back when he was with the Houston Texans in 2022.
Allen brings 19 career starts and seven years of experience to the team. The rest of the Lions’ quarterback room currently includes franchise quarterback Goff, as well as backups Hendon Hooker and Jake Fromm.
What a New QB Means to Hendon Hooker
While some speculate that Hooker’s days are numbered in Detroit, don’t bet on it. Detroit Lions analyst and expert Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News notes in a feature published Thursday, March 13, that “It’s probably safe to assume the job of Hooker, a developmental quarterback Detroit selected in the third round of the 2023 draft, is safe.”
Bianchi added, “We might have to wait until training camp to learn the fate of Fromm, who will probably be Allen’s primary competition.”
However, Zach Ragan of A to Z Sports has a different belief and instead thinks it’s possibly bad news for Hooker that Detroit made this latest signing.
“Detroit’s decision to demote Hooker late last season seemed to indicate that the Lions aren’t very high on the former Vol,” Ragan said in a March 14 piece. “And Detroit’s decision on Thursday to sign free agent quarterback Kyle Allen just further adds to the speculation that the Lions aren’t all-in on Hooker as their primary backup quarterback.”
Ragan adds, “It seems unlikely that Detroit signed Allen to be the No. 3 quarterback. Maybe there’s a legit competition this summer for the primary backup job, but even if there is, this move seems to further confirm that the Lions aren’t high on Hooker.”
In a separate piece for A to Z Sports, Mike Payton states, “We’ll have to see what could happen moving forward. Maybe the Lions go into camp with Hooker or maybe they look for a trade partner. If he stays he’s going to have to get over this obstacle. If he leaves he might have a shot to play elsewhere.”
